Santa Clara Broncos vs Portland Pilots Betting Pick & Prediction 2/29/24

Don’t miss out on the NCAA showdown between the Broncos and Pilots. The game is starting at 9:00 ET on WCC, and it’s hosted by the Pilots at Chiles Center in Portland, OR. Get ready to place your bets! Santa Clara is favored by -10.5 in this West Coast conference contest against Portland. The game’s over/under currently sits at 154 points.

SANTA CLARA BRONCOS VS PORTLAND PILOTS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Portland Pilots +10.5

This game will be played at Chiles Center at 9:00 ET on Thursday, February 29th.

WHY BET THE PORTLAND PILOTS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 76-69 in favor of the Pilots.
• Not only will Portland pick up the win, but look for them to cover at +10.5.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 154 points, and we like the under with a projected 145 points.

Is A Road Victory Likely for the Favored Broncos?

After a 94-81 loss to Gonzaga, Santa Clara is 18-11 overall and 9-5 in West Coast Conference play. They are 6-5 on the road this season, averaging a scoring margin of +2.9 points per game.

As the favorite, the Broncos are 11-4 this season. So far, they have been favored in 15 of their 29 games.

As the favorite this season, Santa Clara has gone just 7-8 vs. the spread. However, they have been much better in their last 10 games as the favorite, going 6-4. On the road, the Broncos have an ATS mark of 9-2 this year and they are 8-2 in their last 10 road games vs. the spread. Overall, Santa Clara has an ATS record of 15-12 in their 29 games this season.

On the season, the over/under record for Santa Clara games is 11-15-1 with an average scoring total of 146.8 points per game. Today’s over/under line of 154 is higher than the average over/under line of 149.9 in their games this year. Over their last three games, the over/under record is 1-2 with an average scoring total of 148 points.

In their previous game, the Broncos’ offense finished with 81 points, which is right in line with their current average of 76.7 points per contest. On the offensive front, the Broncos have a season-long field goal percentage of 46%, ranking 119th nationally. When it comes to three-point shooting, they are ranked 112nd in terms of percentage and 95th in three-pointers made.

At present, the Broncos’ defense is nationally ranked 168th, allowing 71.9 points per game. Against Gonzaga in their most recent game, the Santa Clara defense gave up a total of 94 points while allowing Gonzaga to hit 56% of their shots.

Can Portland Deliver Being Underdogs at Home?

Portland enters this game as a 10.5-point underdog, and they have gone 2-18 in games as an underdog this season. They are currently on a five-game losing streak, and their overall record is 9-20.

At home, the Pilots have gone 5-8 this season, and they have lost their last two games at home. Over their last ten games at home, they have gone 3-7.

As the underdog, Portland has gone 7-13 vs. the spread this season and they are 12-16 overall. At home, the Pilots have an ATS mark of 8-5 and over their last 10 games as the underdog, they are 4-6 vs. the spread.

This season, the over/under record for Portland games is 12-16. So far, the average scoring total in their games is 151.4 points compared to an average over/under line of 151.1, resulting in a small margin of +0.2. Today’s over/under line of 154 is higher than the average scoring total in their games this year and over their last three games the over/under record is 1-2.

In their most recent game, the Portland offense concluded with only 65 points against Gonzaga. Throughout the game, they made 8/19 three-point attempts and had a field goal percentage of 37.1%. Leading the team in scoring was Tyler Robertson with 18 points. Tyler Harris also added 12 points for the Pilots.

Coming into today’s game, the Portland defense is giving up an average of 80.9 points per contest. In terms of field goal percentage allowed, Portland’s defense has allowed opponents to shoot 45.4% from the field, including a three-point shooting percentage allowed of 37.8% this season.